A Prince of a chef

David Prince is retired from his career at McDonnell Douglas. However, at home, his current avocation is head chef — and he's exceptional at it.

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David Prince is retired from his career at McDonnell Douglas. However, at home, his current avocation is head chef — and he's exceptional at it.

Battered shrimp (before baking)

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Battered shrimp (before baking)

Shrimp and scallops will eventually be paired with these fettuccine noodles.

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Shrimp and scallops will eventually be paired with these fettuccine noodles.

Mustard and Dill Salmon

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Mustard and Dill Salmon

Breaded Baked Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

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Breaded Baked Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

David Prince makes sure his food is not fried, low fat, healthy and still delectably delicious. After he retired, he made a point of changing his eating habits and changing some standard recipes to suit his educated palate to meet healthy food guidelines.

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David Prince makes sure his food is not fried, low fat, healthy and still delectably delicious. After he retired, he made a point of changing his eating habits and changing some standard recipes to suit his educated palate to meet healthy food guidelines.

“At a young age, I just fell in love with cooking,” Prince said. At around age 10, Prince remembers helping his mom make chicken. As he got older, he took a few professional cooking classes. He thinks his first class was on making sauces, but he’s not completely sure if his memory serves him well.

He does admit, however, that he considers himself a cook and not a baker, unless folks would consider his mom’s recipes for fruit cake and fudge. Prince really doesn’t consider that baking.

But his favorite dishes are seafood, not just for the taste and because it’s what he grew up eating while living near the Atlantic Ocean, but because seafood is also healthy.

“I remember going to the warf and getting fresh fish,” he said, thinking back on what seemed like a long-forgotten but extremely fond memory.

Born in Virginia, Prince eventually met and married a local Mount Airy gal, Diana, who, it turned out, was also a lover of cooking. She now is a professional cook at Brenda’s Kountry Kitchen restaurant.

As the couple has gotten older, he said, Prince decided to make some changes.

“I had to change my eating habits,” Prince admitted.

So, they both started going to Weight Watchers.

But Prince didn’t stop there.

He wasn’t too thrilled with all the recipes available through the organization, so he decided to experiment and change them up a bit. Prince decided to take a lot of the cooking knowledge and experience he had learned growing up and modify these new recipes to suit his lifestyle and needs. He started cooking healthier, more low fat, less salty, and less sugary as a result. Then, he started cooking every day and tweaked these already good, healthy, weight loss-friendly recipes to his specific tastes.

“I admit I threw quite a few dishes out the first three or four years of experimenting to perfect my new cooking,” he said.

For example, he has learned that only lump crab must be used in crab dishes, such as Maryland Blue Crabs. Also, he advises being meticulous in following the recipe when making dishes such as crab cake.

“Cooking is about detail,” he said. “That’s the key.”

Another piece of advice Prince has learned is not to deep fry food. Saute many dishes in only a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for optimum taste and health.

As a result, both he and his wife have lost weight and they wholeheartedly acknowledge they feel a whole lot better. In fact, his wife has lost 50 pounds.

“I feel so much healthier,” said Diana Prince.

His wife is delighted at the division in cooking duties. She cooks at work. Her husband cooks at home. In fact, her husband has done the cooking at home ever since they were married.

“He loves to cook,” his wife said. “… And he cooks everything … He’s just being modest.”

It’s true, Prince agreed, somewhat sheepishly, with at least one thing about himself and cooking.

“Cooking is a labor of love for me,” he said. He doesn’t have to cook every day. “But, if you are going to do something, you have to do it right. I’ve learned that this is what life is about.”

For example, most chefs will tell you that a diner needs to be able to taste every ingredient in a dish in order for the dish to be properly made, he explained.

But he’s not a food fanatic either, he admitted.

“For example, I’m hooked on Pepperidge Farm Cookies — all flavors,” he admitted with a smile on his face just thinking about his favorite dessert.

RECIPES

CLAMS FETTUCCINE

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

1 6.5-ounce can of chopped clams in clam juice

1 15-ounce can of white clam sauce

Fresh fettuccine pasta

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine clam sauce and the chopped clams and simmer. Put on top of the freshly cooked pasta. Chef’s note: Great when served with garlic toast and a favorite wine.

MUSTARD AND DILL SALMON

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

2 4-to-6-ounces of fresh salmon, washed and patted dry

2 Tablespoons of spicy Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons of dry or fresh dill weed

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit. Put the salmon on a baking dish. Spread the mustard on top of the salmon. Then, put the dill weed on top of the mustard. Bake at 400-degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes.

CRAB CAKES

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of crab meat

8 saltine crackers, crumbled

1 egg beaten

2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon of mustard

1/3 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning

2 Tablespoons of oil

Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the oil in a pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

SEAFOOD NEPTUNE

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of Alfredo sauce

12 ounces of raw shrimp

1/2 pound of sea scallops

Fresh fettuccine, approximately 9 ounces

1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Shell and divide the shrimp. Cook the shrimp in water and the Old Bay Seasoning. Do not overcook. Steam the sea scallops. Cook the pasta. Combine the shrimp and the scallops with the Alfredo sauce. Cook for 2 more minutes. Place the cooked pasta on a plate and add the shrimp/scallop/sauce mixture on top.

CRAB DIP

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of crab meat

1 cup of grated Pepperjack cheese

3/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of minced onions

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Crackers, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients together until well mixed. Place entire mixture in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot, with crackers if desired.

LEMON ZEST SHRIMP

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces of raw, cleaned shrimp

1 egg white

1/2 cup of Panko Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon of lemon zest

1 teaspoon of freshly minced garlic

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the bread crumbs, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil together. Take the shrimp and dip it into the egg white. Then batter with the crumb mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and bake between 4 and 6 minutes.

HOMEMADE COCKTAIL SAUCE

BY DAVID PRINCE

INGREDIENTS

Catsup,

Lemon juice

Horseradish

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the catsup, lemon juice and horseradish to taste. Chef’s note: Can also use hot sauce for a spicier mixture. Just don’t make the sauce too hot to detract from the flavors of the main dish.

CORRECTION

PUNCH RECIPES

FROM THE SURRY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOD CLASSES

(FROM ARTICLE ON OCT. 23, 2013)

INGREDIENTS

1 packet of Cherry Kool-Aid

1 cup of sugar

3 1/2 quarts of water

6 ounces of frozen lemonade

6 ounces of frozen orange juice

18 ounces of pineapple juice

1 2-liter bottle of ginger ale, chilled

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix together the Kool-Aid, water and sugar. Add to the dry mixture the lemonade, orange juice and pineapple juice. When ready to serve the punch, then add the ginger ale.

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